Freelancer taxes, without the April heart attack
When nobody withholds tax for you, the whole job lands on your desk. The good news: a simple set-aside habit and a few deductions turn a scary bill into a routine one.
Quarterly estimated taxes
An employee's tax trickles out of every paycheck. Yours doesn't, so the IRS asks you to pay in four chunks across the year instead of one lump in April. Miss them and you can owe an underpayment penalty even if you settle up fully at filing.
| Payment | Covers income from | Usually due |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Jan – Mar | April 15 |
| Q2 | Apr – May | June 15 |
| Q3 | Jun – Aug | September 15 |
| Q4 | Sep – Dec | January 15 (next year) |
Notice the quarters aren't even — Q2 covers just two months. That uneven spacing is what catches people.
A workable starting point for most freelancers: park 25–30% of every payment in a separate account the day it lands. At year-end you'll have the estimated payments covered with a cushion. Earning more? Lean toward the top of that range.
Why self-employment tax stings
Employees split Social Security and Medicare tax with their employer. You're both, so you pay the full 15.3% on net self-employment earnings. It's the line that surprises first-year freelancers most. One consolation: you deduct half of it as an above-the-line adjustment, automatically.
Write-offs that actually apply
Every legitimate business expense lowers the income you're taxed on. The ones freelancers use most:
- Home office — a dedicated workspace, measured by square footage or the simplified per-foot method.
- Mileage — business miles at the standard rate, tracked with a log or an app.
- Software and subscriptions — the tools you actually use for the work.
- Health insurance premiums — often deductible for the self-employed.
- Retirement contributions — a SEP-IRA or solo 401(k) lets you shelter far more than a regular IRA.
The QBI deduction
The qualified business income deduction can knock up to 20% off your business profit before tax, subject to income limits and a few trade-specific rules. It's one of the biggest breaks for the self-employed, and a self-employed tier like TurboTax Self-Employed handles the calculation once you've entered your income honestly.